Sources & Research
Every number on Costumary traces back to something listed here. If a source is paywalled, we note that. If a figure is self-reported with no methodology, we flag it. Transparency over certainty.
Does tracking your budget actually save you money?
Yes. Tracking materials and seeing your spending in real time is a form of gamification. The best academic evidence comes from a Bayes Business School study where participants using a gamified savings app saved nearly 20% more toward their goals. The “22%” figure that circulates in marketing blogs likely rounds up from this study and lacks a verifiable primary source, so we use the more conservative number.
Sources & references
We link to the brands, retailers, and research we reference so you can verify and explore.
- 1Bayes Business School — Gamification can boost sustainable consumer behaviour — 331 participants, 4-week study. Gamified group saved nearly 20% more toward their goals. Published as a Think Forward Initiative white paper by Scopelliti, Steinmetz, and Hashim (2022).
- 2BlueTrain — What Users Want in a Personal Finance App — Marketing analysis citing gamification's effect on savings habits (~22% figure, likely rounding up from the Bayes study). References Plum, Qapital, and Cleo as examples.
How much do cosplayers spend on costumes?
The honest answer: there is no large-scale, peer-reviewed, recent survey that asks this exact question. The best available data comes from market research firms. Most cosplayers spend $100–400 per costume, with 32.1% in the $101–200 bracket and 27.7% in the $201–400 bracket. About 52% spend over $500 per year total. We use these ranges because they are the most granular and recent available, but we are upfront that the methodologies are partially paywalled. Costumary itself will generate better data over time as makers track real builds.
Sources & references
We link to the brands, retailers, and research we reference so you can verify and explore.
- 1Market.us — Cosplay Costume Market Report (2025) — 367-page report. Per-costume spending brackets: $101–200 (32.1%), $201–400 (27.7%), $401–600 (21.6%). 42.9% make 1–2 costumes per year, 32.1% make 3–4.
- 2Gitnux — Cosplay Industry Statistics (2026 Edition) — Aggregates data from Grand View Research, Statista, Mordor Intelligence, and 75+ other sources. Reports 52% of cosplayers spend over $500 annually.
- 3Eventbrite Fandoms Study (2015) — 2,100+ respondents across 48 US states. 61% spend $100–500 per event on cosplay beyond ticket and food. Largest methodologically documented survey, though a decade old.
- 4Business Insider — How Much Comic Con Costumes Actually Cost (2018) — 17 cosplayers interviewed at NYCC. Range: $20–$1,000. Mid-range: $100–300 for mixed store-bought and handmade. High-end: $500–1,000 for custom armor.
- 56Wresearch — Global Cosplay Costumes Market (2025–2031) — Global cosplay costumes market estimated at $4.5B (2024), projected $9.2B by 2031 at 8.21% CAGR.
How do big finance apps substantiate their savings claims?
We analyzed how YNAB, Rocket Money, and Acorns back up their headline numbers. The pattern: specific dollar amounts with minimal to no methodology disclosure. Rocket Money is the most transparent (admits their $2.5B figure is not independently verified and includes annualized cancellations). YNAB is the least transparent (no methodology at all for their $600/$6,000 claim, and an internal inconsistency between “first month” and “first two months”). We include this because Costumary will eventually cite its own user data, and we want to do better than the industry standard.
Sources & references
We link to the brands, retailers, and research we reference so you can verify and explore.
- 1YNAB — Homepage and pricing page claims — Claims 'average user saves $600 in first month and $6,000 first year' with no published methodology, no footnote, and an internal inconsistency (first month vs first two months in different places). Likely self-reported survey data with self-selection bias.
- 2YNAB — Employee Financial Wellness Survey (March 2022) — 3,000+ full-time employed US adults who use YNAB. Found 24% felt stressed vs 63% in general workforce. Different metric from the '92% feel less stressed' homepage claim.
- 3Rocket Money — Homepage and footnote — Claims '10 million+ members saving over $2.5 billion.' Footnote discloses this includes annualized subscription cancellations and Smart Savings deposits counted as savings. Self-admitted not independently verified.
- 4Acorns — Important Disclosures — Claims '14 million all-time customers' and '$30 billion invested since inception.' Cumulative metrics from an SEC-registered investment adviser. Customer count as of 3/1/2025, invested amount as of 2/13/2026.
How we use this data
The landing page hero rotates through five variants. Four include factual claims backed by the sources above. The fifth (“Every build, remembered”) is our brand line and carries no statistical claim.
When a variant makes a claim (“52% of cosplayers spend over $500 a year”), the highlighted word links here so you can verify the source. We cite the best available data even when it is imperfect, and we are honest about the gaps.
As Costumary grows, our own anonymized aggregate data will replace third-party estimates. When that happens, we will publish our methodology, sample size, and field dates alongside every figure. No hiding behind asterisks.
Questions or corrections? hello@costumary.com